Report from the Trenches

by Barbara Pierce

In October of 1985 the first of the adult training centers operated by National
Federation of the Blind affiliates opened for business in Ruston, Louisiana.
During the next three years two more would open, one in Denver, Colorado, and
the other in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During these past twenty-three years we
have heard repeatedly from the center directors and many students and graduates
of these programs at national and state conventions. Often their remarks have
made their way into the pages of the Braille Monitor. Newspapers have reported
on the centersí extraordinary accomplishments, and we have frequently reprinted
those articles. But we have never set out to report firsthand on these centersí
programs based on Monitor staff membersí spending time actually observing their
operations.
This is about to change. During the coming year Dan Frye of the national staff;
Sylvia Cooley, a photographer; and I are going to report on the three NFB center
programs after spending several days at each one. We begin with a report in
this issue on the Louisiana Center for the Blind.

We plan to report as accurately as we can on what we observe.
We will not make comparisons that suggest we think one program is superior to
another. We may find it useful to point out differences between programs, but
we will leave it to readers to determine which program would best meet their
needs and interests. Of course we will find differences among them; it would
be silly and pointless to suggest that the three centers are identical. Their
differences lend character and distinctiveness to each program.

We will not even try to use the same organizing principles for
our three reports. We trust that the photos will help those who can appreciate
them and will provide insight into the personality of the individual programs.
Our hope is that, when we have completed this project, anyone considering NFB
center training will be able to read the articles carefully and make a more
informed decision about which one would best meet his or her needs and interests.

In this issue we are reporting on our trip to the Louisiana Center
for the Blind. We intended to arrive early in the evening of March 4, but because
of thunderstorms in Atlanta, we did not arrive in Ruston until 2:30 in the morning
of Wednesday, March 5. We said good-bye to the center staff and students on
Friday afternoon, March 7. We hope that you enjoy reading about our visit as
much as we enjoyed making it.